Alonso finally gets a good night’s rest

Ready to rumble

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – The rest of the drivers participating in practice today for the 101st Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil may want to take notice: Fernando Alonso finally got a good night’s sleep and is ready to go.

The two-time Formula One champion making his debut this year in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" pronounced as much at a news conference this morning featuring all six Andretti Autosport drivers. The third day of practice is scheduled from noon-6 p.m. ET. Alonso said his body clock is becoming adjusted since flying across the Atlantic Ocean following Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix to be ready for the opening Indy 500 practice Monday.

“Has been a good experience so far," Alonso said. “Busy from Barcelona to here, so yeah, actually today is the first night that I slept more or less OK without too much jetlag. Feeling better and better, physically and also with the car as well."

Alonso completed 117 laps Tuesday – more than any of the other 31 drivers – on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval with a best lap of 221.029 mph. He spent much of the day on track surrounded by his teammates as he became more accustomed to running in traffic.

“Obviously, the more laps I do, the better I feel," said Alonso, driving the No. 29 McLaren-Honda-Andretti Honda. “Yesterday I had my first experience with traffic. Have been good learning days for me. A lot to come because it's still very new for many of the things that are happening out there.

“But, as I said, every lap I feel better in the car, able to feel the setup changes a little bit. But we are six drivers in our team with a lot of experience. You know, we share. I keep learning also from them. Yesterday in traffic, it was very good to organize these runs with the team. They take care of me yesterday. I felt that, so today I will try to keep learning."

Ambient temperatures are expected in the mid-80s again today, with stronger wind gusts in the forecast. IndyCar.com